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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Thought for the day (6/23/10)

My wonderful nephew, Henry, and my niece, Sophie, had birthdays this week. Yes, they share a birthday, but aren't twins. We just have a thing in this family for having kids share birthdays (Tynan shares one with his stillborn sister; I had to convince the doctors to postpone Nathan's induction so he wouldn't share one with his stillborn brother; Nathan, Aidan, and Tynan all share birthdays with either close friends or children of close friends....Tynan and Brendan--for those of you on fb, Brendan is also known as my favorite son--Aidan and LayanElwazani, Nathan and Mary Scherer).

Henry turned 15. Sophie turned 13. They are wonderful kids. They will be here to visit soon, and I'm already planning to get my girl on with Sophie.

Because my brother and I are adopted, I've never really been attuned to family resemblance in my life. However, watching the cousins and seeing all the similarities, both physically and emotionally, has been a wonderful gift. Interests, likes, dislikes, temperaments, physical features...all intertwined with quite different upbringings and environments.....so COOL to watch.

In honor of Sophie becoming an official teen and Henry moving into the full teen experience, I've lifted this quote from the Dalai Lama as a gift to them. If all of us, especially adults, were to keep this in mind and act upon it, the world would be a better place for everyone, and we'd be setting a good example for those younger people watching us:

If we develop concern for other people's welfare, share other people's suffering, and help them, ultimately we will benefit. If we think only of ourselves and forget about others, ultimately we will lose. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.Happy Birthday, Henry and Sophie! I can't wait to see you next week!!!